The Vampire Defanged: How the Embodiment of Evil Became a Romantic Hero
Overview
Vampires first entered the pop culture arena with Bram Stoker’s
1897 novel, Dracula. Today, vampires are everywhere. From
Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the Twilight Saga to HBO’s
True Blood series, pop culture can’t get enough of the
vampire phenomenon.
Bringing her literary expertise to this timely subject, Susannah
Clements reveals the roots of the vampire myth and shows how it was
originally immersed in Christian values and symbolism. Over time,
however, vampires have been “defanged” as their spiritual
significance has waned, and what was once the embodiment of evil
has turned into a teen idol and the ultimate romantic hero.
Clements offers a close reading of selected vampire texts,
explaining how this transformation occurred and helping readers
discern between the variety of vampire stories presented in movies,
TV shows, and novels. Her probing engagement of the vampire
metaphor enables readers to make Christian sense of this popular
obsession.
From the Back Cover
The Vampire Myth from Dracula to the
Twilight Saga
Vampires first entered the pop culture arena with Bram Stoker’s
1897 novel, Dracula. Today, vampires are everywhere. From
Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the Twilight Saga to HBO’s
True Blood series, pop culture can’t get enough of the
vampire phenomenon.
Bringing her literary expertise to this timely subject, Susannah
Clements reveals the roots of the vampire myth and shows how it was
originally immersed in Christian values and symbolism. Over time,
however, vampires have been “defanged” as their spiritual
significance has waned, and what was once the embodiment of evil
has turned into a teen idol and the ultimate romantic hero.
Clements offers a close reading of selected vampire texts,
explaining how this transformation occurred and discerning between
the variety of vampire stories presented in movies, TV shows, and
novels. Her probing engagement of the vampire metaphor helps
readers make Christian sense of this popular obsession.
“This book is so entertaining that you might almost miss how good
the theology is. Give this book to anyone you know who loves
vampire stories. They will not only thank you but they will also
find spiritual depths they never knew existed."--Stephen H.
Webb, professor of religion and philosophy, Wabash College
1. Why Vampires Matter
2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Sin and the Power of the
Cross
3. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: Eternal Guilt and Transcendent
Love
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sin and Sacrifice, Postmodern
Style
5. Sookie Stackhouse: Sex and the Socialized Vampire
6. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga: The Vampire as Teenage
Heartthrob
7. Vampire Sinners
8. Vampire Saviors
Conclusion
Timeline of Referenced Vampire Texts
Product Details
- Title : The Vampire Defanged: How the Embodiment of Evil Became a Romantic Hero
- Author: Clements, Susannah
- Publisher: Brazos Press
- Publication Date: 2011
- ISBN: 9781441214003
Susannah Clements (PhD, University of South Carolina) is associate professor and chair of the Department of Language and Literature at Regent University, Virginia. She contributed to the Dictionary of Literary Biography and has presented papers and taught courses on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jane Eyre, and J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. She is a British literature specialist whose research interests include nineteenth-century literature, popular culture, and the genre of fantasy.